Mumbai: Stuntmen in Bollywood films will now get a health and life insurance cover against any accident during their performance.
An initiative of actor Akshay Kumar and Dr. Ramakanta Panda of the Asian Heart Institute, the scheme will cover 380 members of the Movie Stunt Association (MSA) aged between 18 years and 55 years. The MSA has over 551 members, out of which 171 are above 55 years old and wont be covered under this scheme.
Dr. Panda, a cardiovascular thoracic surgeon and vice chairman of Asian Heart Institute, said, “Stuntmen do not have any insurance to support them monetarily after any accident. It is high time that they are provided with a proper accidental insurance cover.”
The insurance scheme will provide ₹6 lakh in case of any injury that happens during a stunt. Additionally, in case of death or any permanent disability caused during a stunt, the scheme will further provide a benefit of ₹10 lakh.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Kumar said, “I am a stuntman first and then an actor. I believe that my stunts and action sequences are the reason why I have come so far in this industry and the credit goes to the stunt community and action choreographers.
He added, “Finally, insurance will be available for those who risk their lives to entertain us. Until now, there have been no such insurance schemes for stunt artists across any film industry in the country.”
The benefit of the scheme can be availed on a cashless basis in over 4,000 network hospitals in India. Insurance companies like Synergy Insurance Broking, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd., and the New India Assurance Company Ltd., are part of this initiative.
Speaking to The Hindu , Aejaz Gulab, MSA general secretary and an ex-stunt artist said, “We have been trying to get insurance for many years now, but insurance companies always turned us away citing various reasons.
He added, “However, the efforts of Dr. Panda and Mr. Kumar, have turned a seemingly impossible occurrence into a possible event.” Mr. Kumar and the Asian Heart Institute will pay 50% insurance premium each for 380 members of MSA, Mr. Gulab said.
Amit Grover, a stuntman who has been performing since 2006, said, “We stuntmen take a lot of risk in our lives. This initiative has helped us in garnering the financial help required for our health and accidents caused during stunts.”
Dr. Panda also announced that the stunt artists would be given free training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
